


But if you close your eyes

by Lothiriel84



Series: There was this Bad Guy (let's call him Bad Guy) [5]
Category: MarsCorp (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bogeyman, Creepy Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mentions of Myth & Folklore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-09 02:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16440986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lothiriel84/pseuds/Lothiriel84
Summary: I was left to my own devicesMany days fell away with nothing to show





	But if you close your eyes

He stopped running to catch his breath, the lump in his throat making it nothing short of a challenge. A dozen different scenarios presented themselves to his overwrought brain, each one worse than the previous one; he would have burst into tears if not for the sense of urgency driving him on, regardless of the burning feeling in his chest and the heaviness in his legs.

His friend might be slightly older than he was, but he still felt responsible for him; out of the two of them, he was the one who’d been here for longer, so it was only natural that he should look after Dave rather than the other way round.

Speaking of Dave, there weren’t that many places where he could be hiding, and yet, it looked like he’d somehow managed to vanish into thin air. David had already searched anywhere he could think of, yet to no avail; he wondered if it was possible that his friend had somehow incurred in the wrath of the Big Guy Upstairs, something which he hoped and prayed was not the case. In one final spur of desperation, he made a beeline for the silk-covered trees looming ominously against the swirling worlds opening in the ink-black sky, his foot eventually catching into a strip of soiled cloth that rather looked like one of Patrick’s hand-knit scarves.

“Dave?” he cried, peering into the twilight that appeared to be the very substance this World Between Worlds was made of. “Show yourself. Please.”

Silence fell back into place like a heavy curtain, as soon as the last syllable left his mouth. He sniffled, struggling to ignore the way his heart was hammering against his ribcage, and reached for one of the lower branches of the nearest tree.

He paused mid-motion, fancying he could hear a soft wail coming from the landslide a mere ten feet below. Cautiously, he made his way through the twisted, knobbly roots of the trees, let himself slid down the steep slope to the bottom of the ravine.

“Dave!” he half cried, half sobbed, as he finally spotted the dark figure curled among the slabs of rock. The boy only let out another pained wail, and flat-out refused to acknowledge his presence.

“Thank the Shareholders I found you,” David muttered as if to himself, promptly kneeling down at his side. “How badly are you hurt? I’ll go and get Patrick, he will carry you home.”

“No!” Dave shrieked in sudden panic. “They will lock me in that cupboard of theirs if they find out. Just – leave me here, all right?”

David frowned, momentarily confused. “No, they won’t. Why would they?”

“I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. I’m always the one who gets punished, even when it’s some other child who’s broken my stupid leg.”

Dave was bawling by now, whether out of pain or frustration, he couldn’t tell. He slid one arm around him, mindful of his injuries, in what he hoped would be perceived as a comforting hug. “I’ll take all the blame, okay? Just let me call them. Please.”

“It hurts,” Dave admitted at length. “My arm, it really hurts.”

“I’ll be back before you know it, I promise.”

With that, he jumped to his feet and started clambering up the landslide, though not without difficulty. Then he rushed towards the cottage as fast as his legs would carry him, his knees giving way as he finally stepped through the front door.

“Hey there, buddy,” a comfortingly familiar voice made itself heard, as he was scooped up from where he’d crumpled into a heap on the floor. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

“Dave fell down the ravine, up there at the cluster of trees, I think he’s hurt himself quite badly. We were playing hide and seek, and then I lost him – it’s my fault, I should have been more careful. I’m so sorry.”

“Little D, buddy,” Colin shushed him, gently ruffling his hair. “I’m pretty sure none of this is your fault. Just sit here for a bit while I go and fetch your little friend, all right?”

David nodded mutely, and let himself be deposited onto the worn-out armchair that was Colin’s favourite. Staring at the faded stains scattered across the ceiling, he mentally retraced his own steps to the cobweb-adorned trees, picturing Colin striding up the same path just now.

The dull ache in his legs was starting to subside, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier by the moment. He woke with a start as someone tugged quite forcefully at his clothes, and he realised he must have nodded off, even in spite of his better intentions.

“I’m not going back to my bed,” Dave was protesting, his fingers still clutching at David’s sleeve. “You’re going to wait until I fall asleep, then throw me into the kitchen cupboard.”

“No one’s going to throw you anywhere,” Colin explained, patiently. “You got yourself a sprained wrist, and a badly bruised arm and knee. You’d be much better off sleeping in your own bed.”

It was only then that David realised he was actually lying in his own bed in the attic, a teary and quite worse for the wear Dave clinging onto him for dear life. “He can stay here with me,” he mumbled, still drowsy with sleep. “I don’t take up that much space.”

“As you prefer,” Colin relented eventually, tucking them both in. “Now, you two take a nap like the good kids that you are, while I get the dinner started. Patrick will be back soon with your medicine, Dave, which should help with the pain.”

“Promise it’s not that stuff you give to naughty children?”

“Cross my heart,” Colin promised solemnly, straightening his back, and preparing to leave. “Now, sleep.”

Dave buried his face against David’s shoulder, trembling with stifled sobs. It only took him a couple of minutes to cry himself to sleep, leaving David to listen to his soft breathing as he gradually drifted off once more.   


End file.
